Haley Hopkins
Ms. Wilson
AP Literature and Composition
7 October 2013
Explanation
of Creative Project
·
Prompt (1970): Choose a character from a novel
or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a)
briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character
exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those
standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.
·
Essence: Isolation can lead to a suspension of
maturity
·
Thesis:
In Emma Donoghue’s Room, Jack
enjoys the societal standards that his Ma has created; however, when
accompanied with extreme isolation, these standards cause Jack’s suspended
maturation.
Ma has been
trapped in Room for seven years, five of which Jack has been a part of. In
order to maintain her sanity, Ma creates a fantasy world for Jack in Room;
however, this takes a toll on Jack. The five year old narrates the entire
novel, and his innocence and lack of maturity make his situation seem far less
horrid than it actually is. When Jack narrates, it becomes clear that he has an
attachment to inanimate objects. Things
like chairs and toothbrushes are basically personified as Jack interacts with them:
“I jump onto Rocker to look at Watch, he says 07:14” (p.4). While it is
understandable that Jack might view these common inanimate objects as friends
due to his isolation, what is concerning is that Ma does not bother to correct
him; this leads to him developing an emotional attachment to many items. Ma
does many other things that could be criticized; for example, she still
breastfeeds Jack even though he is five. Near the end of the novel, Ma is asked
in an interview to comment about breastfeeding Jack, and she responds, “In this
whole story, that’s the shocking detail?” (p. 233). Ma does not understand that
by continuing to treat Jack as though he were a baby, she is delaying his
maturity process. She doesn’t realize how her choices to raise Jack have
affected him negatively; by setting up a certain schedule with the same, mediocre
standards (eating, bathing, reading, sleeping, exercising), she has doomed
Jack. He cannot function in a normal society because all he knows is Room and
what occurred in it. And he liked how everything in Room worked; he liked its
standards. He even wants to go back after he is rescued. He tells Ma, “’Want to
go to Bed’” (p.155). Jack doesn’t understand what a horrid situation he was in,
and what Room really was; this is because Ma didn’t tell him from the get-go.
I chose to
represent the essence of Room by
creating a board game. It is a combination of Candy Land and the Pokemon
version of Sorry!. I wanted to show that by “escaping” Room, the player (and
metaphorically, Jack) is able to begin to fully mature. The “player pieces” are
all objects that Jack personified in the novel, including Bed and Meltedy
Spoon. I chose to do this to show how abnormal it is for a child to refer to
objects the way Jack does. It also serves as a reminder of Jack’s extreme
isolation. The first drawing on the board shows Jack and Ma with the drawing Ma
made for him on his birthday at the beginning of the book. At the beginning,
Jack is totally and completely dependent on his mother and the schedule she has
created for him. He is living in a fantasy world. However, Ma slowly begins to
reveal the truth to him. This is where the second drawing of Ma and Jack comes
into play. Ma tells Jack all about “Outside,” and Jack doesn’t believe a word
of it. He becomes angry: “Liar, liar, pants on fire, there’s no Outside”
(p.155). This exemplifies just how unaware Jack is of everything going on
outside of Room. Because of Ma’s choice to let him live in this world where the
two of them are completely dependent on each other, Jack cannot understand the
simplest aspects of human life. The third drawing in the game depicts the scene
where Ma pretends Jack is dead in an attempt to save them both. This is the
point in the book where Jack and Ma get rescued, and Jack is finally in a place
(the real world) where he will be forced to mature. I also included quotes with the pictures, as
well as an extra at the top of the board game; I simply did this for added
credibility.
Since the essence
and theme of my book revolve around suspended maturation and isolation, I
wanted the cards in my game to reflect that. The cards labeled “Room” are meant
to show how Jack is attached to inanimate objects due to his isolation. “Sunday
Treat” cards are mostly positive (as in “move forward one space” because Jack
views them as actual gifts. He will constantly tell Ma, “We could ask for one
for Sundaytreat” (p. 90). He clearly does not understand what the “treats”
really are, or why he is receiving them; Ma makes the choice not to explain
this to Jack. The Wild Cards are events in the book that area sort of mix between
things that were good and bad for Jack. The two card types that I have deemed
the most important, however, are the “Ma” and “Schedule” cards. The “Ma” cards
show how Ma’s choices have led to Jack’s suspension of maturity. These cards
make players move backwards to symbolize Jack’s suspended maturation; Jack
cannot “move forward,” so neither can the players. The “Schedule” cards give
examples of daily activities that Ma and Jack participate in. Jack is dependent
on his schedule in the novel – it tells him exactly what to do (with Ma, of
course) and when. When it is taken away from him after he escapes Room, he is
extremely upset. My goal with this board game was to intertwine my essence and
thesis through the use of the cards, as well as the pictures on the board, and
I believe I met it.
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